Tricolor speaks clearly to its target audience

STOCKTON - Stockton's top Spanish-language radio station reflects the city, with programming that is simultaneously traditional, youthful and proudly Mexican.

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By Dana M. Nichols

recordnet.com

By Dana M. Nichols

Posted Jul. 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Dana M. Nichols

Posted Jul. 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM

KMIX

Address: 6820 Pacific Ave., Stockton; transmitters are at the station and in the Altamont Hills south of Tracy.Information: tricolor1009.comHistory: KMIX was an English...

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KMIX

Address: 6820 Pacific Ave., Stockton; transmitters are at the station and in the Altamont Hills south of Tracy.

Information: tricolor1009.com

History: KMIX was an English-language station broadcasting country music until 1996, when it converted to Spanish. Z-Spanish Radio Network bought KMIX in 1997. Entravision bought KMIX in 2000 and is the current owner.

Products: KMIX follows the "Tricolor" format developed by Entravision. Industry insiders describe the format as hard-core Mexican, which means regional Mexican music but with a high portion of recent artists who appeal to a youthful audience.

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STOCKTON - Stockton's top Spanish-language radio station reflects the city, with programming that is simultaneously traditional, youthful and proudly Mexican.

Although the call letters for 100.9 FM in Stockton are KMIX, most listeners will know the station as Tricolor, the name of the station's format.

Tricolor refers to the three colors of the Mexican flag - red, white and green. The station's logo features the flag with a cowboy hat superimposed over it.

"We pay close attention to the market. In Stockton, the ones carrying the trends are the Latino youths," said Nestor Rocha, vice president of programming for Entravision Communication, the corporation that owns KMIX.

Rocha knows the radio market in Stockton and other Northern California cities well. He formerly was an on-air personality for both English- and Spanish-language stations in the Bay Area, where he earned the nickname "el Pato," or "the Duck."

"I have family in Stockton," Rocha said. "It is a huge Latino community."

Tricolor is one of four radio formats used by Entravision. Regional Mexican is the top Spanish-language radio format in the United States. So it is not surprising that two of the four Entravision formats are regional Mexican, although with some differences. The other regional format, El Gato, puts a heavy emphasis on contemporary performers.

Listeners on stations with the Tricolor format will hear Vicente Fernandez, the longtime king of regional Mexican music, and other mainstays, such as Los Tucanes de Tijuana. There will also be some younger regional groups, such as Voz de Mando.

Entravision owns 48 radio stations and 53 television stations. It has 1,132 employees, 21 of whom work at KMIX.

Much of the programming broadcast by KMIX is syndicated programs produced elsewhere at other Entravision stations. Most of the Stockton staff are part of the station's marketing efforts, including the Party Cartel, which goes to events such as concerts or to local businesses, such as grocery stores. There, they make it possible for fans to connect live to show hosts.

Roughly 40 percent of Stockton's population is Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Radio industry estimates are that there are more than 200,000 listeners of Spanish-language radio in the market, which includes a swath of the San Joaquin Valley stretching south to Modesto.

Among those stations broadcasting in all languages and rated by Arbitron, KMIX has a 4.9 percent share of the listeners in the Stockton market and is the top Spanish-language station.

KMIX has changed owners and formats over the years. It was a country music station until 1996, when it switched to a Spanish-language format. Z-Spanish Radio Network bought KMIX in 1997, and Entravision bought it in 2000.

On a recent weekday morning on 100.9 FM, Entravision personalities with on-air names such as Don Agapita and Maria Luisa were busy exchanging jokes on Los Picudos de La Mañana, the morning show. Picudos translates roughly as pointed, or clever, comments.

The conversation ranged from serious topics, such as why woman should avoid alcohol during pregnancy, to predictions about how the Mexican national soccer team would fare during the Copa de Oro (Gold Cup).

The varied ages of the on-air personalities reflect the fact that viewers of all ages listen to the station. Rocha said that the Spanish-language radio market, so far, has not become as fragmented as other markets and has not seen significant losses of listeners to online services such as Pandora.